Key art fairs Kiaf, Frieze to open in Sept.

SEOUL, June 9 (Yonhap) -- Kiaf Seoul and Frieze Seoul will concurrently take place in September this year, set to attract art collectors to one of the year's most prominent events in the art scene.

A total of 175 galleries from 18 countries will join Kiaf from Sept. 2-6 at the COEX convention center in Seoul, with 20 galleries joining the event for the first time, according to the Galleries Association of Korea.

Among major galleries taking part in the art fair are Gallery Hyundai, Kukje Gallery and Hakgojae from South Korea, as well as Whitestone Gallery from Hong Kong and Kornfeld Galerie from Berlin.

Kiaf, which will celebrate its 25th anniversary this year, has appointed fashion designer Jung Ku-ho as creative director, marking the first appointment of an outside creative director.

This Sept. 3, 2025, file photo shows Kiaf Seoul taking place at the COEX convention center in southern Seoul. (Yonhap)

The fifth edition of Frieze Seoul will also take place at COEX from Sept. 2-5.

More than 125 galleries from 30 countries will take part in this year's event, with about 70 percent of participating galleries based in the Asia-Pacific region.

Alongside the main section, which features major galleries such as Gladstone and Lehmann Maupin, a separate section curated by three independent curators will take place to introduce a diverse array of trends in modern art, according to the organizers.